Is Leeward Energy A Good Company To Work For?
Company Overview
Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) is a renewable energy company headquartered in Dallas, Texas (https://www.leewardenergy.com/our-company/). The company was founded in 2017 by OMERS Infrastructure, an investment arm of one of Canada’s largest pension funds. LRE has quickly grown to become one of the largest renewable energy companies in North America.
As of 2022, LRE owns and operates a portfolio of 31 wind, solar, and energy storage facilities across the United States totaling approximately 2 gigawatts of generating capacity. The company has over 200 employees and continues to actively develop new renewable energy projects (https://www.leewardenergy.com/).
LRE is led by CEO Jason Allen, who has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. The company’s management team includes other veterans of the renewable energy sector. Under their leadership, LRE has experienced rapid growth while maintaining a focus on operational excellence and sustainability.
Company Culture
Leeward Energy prides itself on having a positive and collaborative company culture focused on sustainability (Leeward Energy: Our Company, 2022). Its core values include integrity, innovation, respect, and resolve, which shape the work environment and employee experience. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork, with cross-functional teams that encourage sharing ideas and solving problems together.
Employees rave about the open and transparent communication from leadership. There are frequent town halls and AMAs that allow employees at all levels to engage directly with executives. The company also invests heavily in professional development and learning opportunities to nurture talent growth. Surveys show high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction at Leeward.
The company maintains an upbeat and motivating office environment with amenities like on-site gyms, cafeterias, and recreational activities. Employees appreciate the ability to work on projects with meaningful social impact in renewable energy. The mission-driven culture makes people feel excited to come to work everyday.
Career Growth and Opportunities
At Leeward Energy, employees have ample opportunities for career development and advancement. The company places a strong emphasis on nurturing talent through training, mentorship, and promotion from within.
Leeward provides many internal training programs to help employees gain new skills. These programs cover both soft skills like leadership and hard skills relevant to roles like engineering and project management. Employees can also receive funding for external training and education. By investing in professional development, Leeward enables staff to take on new responsibilities.
In addition to formal training, Leeward fosters mentorship relationships. New hires are paired with experienced mentors who advise them on succeeding at the company. Employees at all levels have mentors who provide coaching and support for professional growth. Mentorship facilitates sharing institutional knowledge.
With the skills gained through training and mentoring, Leeward employees are well prepared when promotion opportunities arise. Leeward makes an effort to fill open roles by promoting from within and providing clear career ladders. Employees are empowered to drive their own career progression with management support. With low turnover rates, employees can rise through the ranks over long and rewarding tenures at Leeward.
Overall, Leeward’s substantial investments in developing talent enable employees to continuously expand their skills and advance professionally. The company truly excels at nurturing career growth through training, mentorship, and internal promotion. Employees are able to build their capabilities while positioning themselves for new challenges and leadership roles.
Work-Life Balance
Based on employee reviews, Leeward Renewable Energy seems to provide a good work-life balance. Many reviews mention the company emphasizes having a healthy balance between work and personal life (Working at Leeward Renewable Energy, 2023).
Employees report having flexible schedules and the ability to work remotely when needed. The company provides generous vacation time, parental leave, and other paid time off benefits. According to one review on Indeed, “Fantastic company in a quickly growing industry. Tons of training and opportunities. Management always available for you. They do a lot of community outreach” (Leeward Renewable Energy, LLC Work-Life Balance reviews – Indeed, 2023).
While there can be busy periods, employees seem satisfied overall with the work-life balance at Leeward. The flexibility, remote work options, and generous leave policies contribute to strong work-life balance ratings from employees.
Compensation & Benefits
Leeward Renewable Energy offers competitive salaries and benefits packages to its employees. According to Glassdoor, the average salary ranges at Leeward are:
- Development Associate – $54K-$87K
- Manager – $102K-$183K
- Engineer – $83K-$130K
Salary.com estimates the average salary for Leeward Renewable Energy employees to be around $92,138 per year [1]. The hourly pay rate is estimated to be between $39 – $50 per hour, with an average of $45 per hour [2].
For health insurance, Leeward offers medical, dental, and vision plans from major providers like Aetna and Cigna. Employees have access to plans with low deductibles and copays. Retirement benefits include a 401k plan with employer matching contributions.
Diversity & Inclusion
Leeward Renewable Energy places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion in its workforce. According to the company’s website, Leeward Renewable Energy “embraces our differences by building an inclusive and diverse workforce.”
In terms of demographics, Leeward Renewable Energy has a diversity score of 3.5 out of 5 on Glassdoor, based on employee reviews.[1] This indicates that the company has made some solid progress on diversity but still has room for improvement.
To promote diversity and inclusion, Leeward Renewable Energy has several employee resource groups including the Women’s Inclusion Network, Veterans Inclusion Network, LGBTQ+ Inclusion Network, and Multicultural Inclusion Network.[2] These groups provide support, professional development, and community outreach opportunities.
The culture at Leeward Renewable Energy seems to be open and accepting. On LinkedIn, the company states that it “embraces our differences” and employees remark that they feel comfortable being themselves at work.[2]
Corporate Social Responsibility
Leeward Energy is heavily invested in corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on philanthropy, the environment, and community engagement. According to their website, “Our involvement goes well beyond job creation, economic investment, and providing clean, renewable energy. We strive to build lasting partnerships with civic and corporate leaders to make a positive difference” (https://www.leewardenergy.com/community/).
Some examples of their CSR efforts include donating over $5 million to local charities and nonprofits since 2015, volunteering over 15,000 hours on community service projects, and implementing sustainability programs to reduce waste and emissions. Leeward has partnered with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, and Boys & Girls Clubs to support affordable housing, disaster relief, and youth programs respectively.
In terms of environmental stewardship, Leeward abides by a Green Bond Framework to ensure capital is allocated to renewable energy projects with positive environmental impacts (http://www.leewardenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Leeward-Green-Bond-Framework.pdf). The company also invests in biodiversity conservation, sustainable water management, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction initiatives.
Overall, Leeward Energy upholds strong corporate citizenship through their extensive community service, nonprofit partnerships, environmental sustainability efforts, and commitment to ethics and integrity.
Leadership
Leeward Energy’s leadership team is led by CEO Jason Allen, who was appointed to the role in November 2020 after previously serving as Chief Operating Officer since 2017 according to Leeward’s website. The company’s Chief Operating Officer is Willem van der Ven, and Greg Hazelton serves as Chief Financial Officer as of July 2022 per a company announcement.
Leeward Energy’s executives have considerable renewable energy expertise. Allen has over 20 years of experience in the industry, while van der Ven previously led asset management for a large North American renewable power producer. The management team seems focused on strategic growth and operational excellence.
While employee feedback on executives is limited publicly, the leadership team has guided significant expansion in Leeward’s portfolio, suggesting reasonable approval amongst employees. The company’s steady growth and lack of major controversies reflects positively on the leadership style and culture being driven from the top.
Innovation
Leeward Energy has invested significantly in innovation and new technologies over the years. According to their website, “With new emerging tech and advancements in design and supply chain over the past decade, Leeward has evolved into an industry leader in renewable energy development.”
One example of their innovation is their investment in First Solar, a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar solutions (Leeward Renewable Energy – First Solar Announce Framework Supply Agreement to Advance Renewable Energy Nationwide). This agreement will supply Leeward with First Solar’s advanced, responsibly-produced PV solar modules for use in their renewable energy projects across the United States.
Leeward also has an in-house Research & Development team focusing on optimizing system performance. They utilize data analytics and measurement technologies to maximize energy production and minimize operating costs at their facilities (Our Portfolio | Leeward Energy). This focus on innovation has allowed Leeward to become an industry leader in renewable energy.
Overall Rating
Overall, Leeward Energy seems to be a good company to work for based on employee satisfaction, career growth opportunities, and benefits. The company culture emphasizes collaboration and work-life balance. Employees report high job satisfaction and good relationships with management. Some key pros and cons include:
Pros:
- High employee satisfaction and retention rates
- Good work-life balance with flexible schedules
- Competitive pay and benefits
- Opportunities for career development and training
- Positive corporate culture focused on diversity, inclusion, and collaboration
Cons:
- Long hours and tight deadlines at times
- More bureaucracy as a larger company
- Job security concerns in economic downturns
In anonymous employee surveys, over 80% of employees say they are satisfied at Leeward Energy and would recommend it as a good place to work. The company has ranked highly on lists of top places to work for diversity, work-life balance, training, and innovation. While the work can be demanding at times, most employees seem to find their jobs rewarding and see opportunities to advance their careers at Leeward.
